This is the second of five in a series on Newmont’s contribution to the SDGs.

In 2016, we identified the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls – among the SDGs where we can have the most impact. While mining is a male-dominated industry, Newmont is taking steps to foster an environment that is inclusive of everyone.

Our global inclusion and diversity strategy aims to build a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, develop and work together to deliver our purpose, which is to create value and improve lives through sustainable and responsible mining.

We are focused on three near-term priorities under our diversity and inclusion strategy: integrating practices that encourage inclusive behaviors in the workplace, increasing the representation of women and other diverse people throughout the workforce, and establishing community partnerships that support the development of a diverse talent pipeline and our goal to expand economic opportunities for women.

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) echoes our focus on community integration, offering insight on how mining can make a positive contribution to gender parity beyond the boundaries of our operations by “actively recognising women’s rights to property and resources, including women as stakeholders in land acquisition, resettlement and consultation processes, and building inclusive access to jobs and economic opportunities.”

In support of this, Newmont established the Women’s Consultative Committee (WCC) in 2008 to ensure women in the communities impacted by our Ghana operations were consulted on decisions such as land access and job opportunities. Today, the WCC is a successful community-led organization. Newmont continues to engage with the WCC and contribute to its Self Help Fund, which provides loans to women in the community.

Targets under SDG5 also include ensuring “women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities at all levels of decision making.” On August 12, 2016, our President and CEO, Gary Goldberg, formally signed the CEO statement in support of Paradigm for Parity – a movement of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members and business academics who are committed to a workplace where women and men have equal power, status and opportunity by 2030. Today, we are developing an implementation plan for Paradigm for Parity’s 5-point roadmap, which includes increasing the representation of women in senior operating roles and working to minimize or eliminate unconscious bias, among other steps.

Another way that our global inclusion and diversity journey contributes to the SDGs is through our business resource groups (BRGs) – voluntary, employee-led groups that foster the exchange of ideas and promote diversity of thought in the workplace. Today, Newmont’s has 20 BRGs globally which are enhancing skills – such as the ability to influence, inclusive leadership skills, communication skills, trust building behaviors, empowerment and accountability, emotional intelligence, and facilitation skills – which, once gained, translate into improved inclusive actions in the workplace.

It is our commitment to pursue a journey of increased awareness, discovery, understanding and application. Integration towards the realization of each individual feeling empowered to fully contribute to the goals of the Company creates competitive advantage for Newmont and supports long-term value creation into the future.

For more details about our commitment to sustainable and responsible mining, visit our sustainability report, Beyond the Mine. Stay tuned next week for more on Newmont’s contributions to the SDGs.